Bulldog stymies Reading, 5-2

NEW BRITAIN -- Rock Cats right-hander Henry Bonilla was dubbed "The Bulldog" last season when his gritty determination made him a favorite of manager Stan Cliburn.

KEN LIPSHEZ

Published
12:00 am EDT, Friday, April 30, 2004

Bonilla came to the team last May as a long reliever, was given a spot in the rotation and ended up second on the team with nine victories.

The Reading Phillies reached Bonilla for runs in the first two innings but in his typical manner, he adjusted and battled back.

Bonilla and two relievers stymied the Phils the rest of the way Thursday night as the Rock Cats stretched their winning streak to three games with a 5-2 victory before 2,140 at New Britain Stadium.

Bonilla (2-2) has had sharper outings, but the beauty of his character is that he gets the most out of what he's got. With the airtight Rock Cats defense behind him, Bonilla didn't allow a hitter past first through the rest of his six-inning stint.

"We were trying to bust them inside," Bonilla said. "I tried to come in but it was staying down the middle. The more I got accustomed to seeing how much movement I had, I got into a little rhythm."

Cliburn knows he can rely on his bulldog even when he's not at his best.

"He didn't have his best stuff but when he missed, he got people out because he was in there tight on their hands," Cliburn said. "When he got his out pitches, he tied them up. When you get a victory without your best stuff, you're a battler. He's always been a warrior, a guy who wants the ball."

Victor Moreno extended his streak of scoreless innings to 12 by retiring six in a row in the seventh and eighth. Bobby Korecky pitched the ninth to earn his fourth save. Both Moreno and Korecky played in the Phillies chain before coming to the Minnesota organization.

The Phils took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Scott Youngbauer laced a 3-1 pitch up the alley in right field. He moved to third on a tap back to the box and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Howard.

A leadoff triple by Kevin Barker and two-out bloop single by Josue Perez drew the Phillies (8-11) even in the second, but the New Britain pitching and defense took over from there.

New Britain regained its one-run lead in the fourth when B.J. Garbe walked, raced to third on a double by Jake Mauer (2-for-4) and scored on groundout by James Tomlin.

The Rock Cats extended to 4-2 in the fifth. Singles by Maza (2-for-4, 19 for his last 49) and Jason Kubel put runners on the corners. West lofted a pop fly to right center that dropped in when right fielder Miguel Quintana couldn't locate it. Kubel was forced at second on the play but Maza scored.

Newcomer Garrett Jones was named the defensive player of the game for his work around the first-base bag.

In the third inning, he stabbed a hot shot diving toward the line and flipped to Bonilla covering. He ended the Reading fifth when he snared a hot shot and made the unassisted putout.

In the sixth, Mauer backhanded a smash by Bristol's Jim Deschaine to begin a double play that Jones finished with a scoop of Maza's one-hop relay. Maza turned in a gem in the seventh when he ranged deep in the hole behind first and threw across his body to Moreno covering.